You might have been hoping for Bethesda to bring its two most eagerly anticipated upcoming games—The Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield, both announced last year—to E3 this year. However, during PAX East at a panel, Todd Howard, the director of the Elder Scrolls series, confirmed that neither game will be at E3 this year, and that both are a ways out for now.
“Before everyone asks, please be patient. It’s going to be a long time. It’s not something we’re going to be talking about at E3, either of those games, this year. And so patience, please, but you know, given the anniversary, we did want to give everybody a taste,” Howard said, before delving into a discussion of how Bethesda will be upgrading the technology and engine they use for The Elder Scrolls 6.
It’s good that they are taking their time with these games, and that the early failure of Fallout 76 has not caused them to rush either of them to the market (which would have been catastrophic for the health of the IP and their own brand). In the end, fans are eagerly awaiting The Elder Scrolls 6, but if it actually being what fans want it to be warrants time, then it’s good that Bethesda actually take that time, instead of rushing something to the market. And along the way, if they also update their now ageing technology, then that’s another win for everyone involved.
As for what their E3 may entail then, I have to imagine they’ll show us Wolfenstein Youngblood, DOOM Eternal, the upcoming expansions for The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76, and maybe couple of projects from Arkane and Tango Gameworks. It may not be the most exciting thing in the world (though hey, I would love to see more DOOM Eternal), but at least they’re actually showing up.